Italy's antitrust authority on Thursday imposed a 200,000 euro fine on electronic motorway toll charge payment company Telepass for extending the scope of an existing optional service for double the fee without first obtaining customers' consent. The fine takes into account the fact that Telepass will activate a relative opt-in mechanism for customers as of December, the authority said in a statement.
On January 1, 2016 the company extended its optional roadside assistance service to cover not just motorways but the entire national road network. This corresponded to a new monthly fee for existing customers of 1,50 euros rather than the previous 0,78 euros, with effect from January 1, 2017. Telepass informed customers of the activation of the new extended service in a unilateral contract modification proposal that unduly conditioned their economic choices, the antitrust authority said.
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